As if North Texas drivers aren’t already scary enough at times, a new law clears the way to allow driverless cars on the roads in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed a law allowing companies like Uber, Google, and automakers to test self-driving cars on North Texas roads. Senate Bill 2205 requires driverless vehicles to be able to comply with all existing traffic laws. Driverless vehicles must also be equipped with video recording devices and must carry the same insurance as any other vehicle. 

Google is already testing self-driving cars in Austin, so driverless vehicles are not completely new to the state. No existing law prohibits the use of driverless cars. However, SB 2205 intends to clarify the legality of such vehicles and to determine conditions for their use.

Sen. Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills introduced the bill to enable Texas to compete in the auto technology arena. Other states are already working on testing driverless cars. Arizona is testing self-driving vehicles in association with GM’s Cruise, Uber, and Alphabet’s Waymo. Texas is now among 18 states that has passed similar bills related to autonomous vehicles. 

Such bills have a great deal of support among automakers, including General Motors and Toyota. The self-driving vehicles are intended to ultimately make the roads safer, as the technology is designed to prevent accidents. Driverless cars will also make transportation easier for people with disabilities.

AAA Texas wanted the bill to require a human operator to be present in the vehicle at all times, and for driverless cars to carry $1 million in insurance. However, the bill only requires driverless cars to carry the state minimum coverage, and human operators are not required to be present.

 Even though the law does not require the presence of a human operator in the vehicles, they will still be present anyway for the foreseeable future. The automakers want to be sure the technology is safe before they unleash driverless cars on the roads.